Building wall with water deflecting lintel blocks



Sept. 19, 1967 G- E. DUPRE 3,341,991

BUILDING WALL WITH WATER DEFLECTING LINTEL BLOCKS Filed April 6, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 51 n it I5 0 E a 0 J5 7 I I I I8 -PR|OR ART I \CIO 0 GEORGE E. DUPRE INVENTOR.

Sept. 19, 1967 E. DUPRE 3,341,991

BUILDING WALL WITH WATER DEFLECTING LINTEL BLOCKS Filed April 6, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 20' m3 IL CIO GEORGE E. DUPRE INVENTOR.

ATT'Y.

United States Patent 3,341,991 BUILDING WALL WITH WATER DEFLECTING LINTEL BLOCKS George E. Dupre, 1351 N. Airline Ave., Granaercy, La. 70052 Filed Apr. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 446,001 4 Claims. (Cl. 5297) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A building wall constructed of courses of blocks around a frame of a door or window, where the top of the frame is spaced downwardly from a joint between courses of the wall blocks. Special lintel blocks are provided on top of the frame to line up with the next upper joint between wall block courses. The lintel blocks have outwardly projecting shoulders with downwardly and inwardly sloping upper surfaces, forming a trough for drainage of water laterally of the lintel to the sides of the frame in the well.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in building wall construction, and in particular the invention concerns itself with walls constructed of modules such as cinder blocks or concrete blocks.

In such wall structures the modular blocks are laid in courses superposed one upon another and when door or Window frames are installed in the wall as it is being built, it very frequently happens that the top transverse member of the frame is not on the same level or elevation as the junction line between one course of blocks and the next overlying course. As a result it is necessary to either cut down the height of blocks placed on top of the door or window frame, or to provide a filler strip of mortar or concrete thereon, so that blocks overlying the frame may be horizontally coplanar with the courses of blocks in the wall itself. Obviously, such cutting down of blocks or provision of a filling medium is a tedious procedure which unduly increases the cost of wall construction and often impairs the appearance of the wall.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the invention to eliminate the above outlined disadvantages, this being attained by the provision of special modular blocks, hereinafter referred to as lintel blocks, which are particularly intended to be laid in a row on top of the door or window frame in such dimensional compatability that they are properly aligned with the courses of blocks in the wall, without any need for filling or block cutting.

As another feature, the lintel blocks of the invention are provided integrally with what may be referred to as a water shed shoulder on the outside thereof, such a shoulder being arranged so as to prevent water from running down over the door or window and eliminating the need for a metal drip lip such as is conventionally installed over the door or window frame.

With the foregoing more important object and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modular block wall with a door or window frame therein, showing one manner of construction in accordance with conventional practice;

' FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 22 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modular block wall with a door or window frame therein, showing another manner of construction in accordance with conventional practice;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 4-4 in FIG- URE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modular block wall with a door or window frame therein and a lintel over the frame in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 66 in FIG- URE 5;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 7-7 in FIG- URE 5;

FIGURE 8 is an isometric view of one of the lintel blocks;

FIGURE 9 is an isometric view of another lintel block; and

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary isometric view of the lintel structure.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, attention is first directed to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, 4 which show two conventional method of constructing a build ing wall from modular blocks such as cinder or cement blocks, wherein the wall is built around a closure frame such as a door or window frame.

The individual blocks, indicated at 15, are laid in courses, one course superposed upon another, such courses being indicated, for example, at C8, C9, C10, C11, C12 and C13. The blocks in each course as well as the courses of blocks are bonded together by the usual mortar joints 16.

For sake of uniformity the modular blocks 15 are of a standard height set at a fixed dimension by national standards, as for example, a height of 7 which together with a mortar joint establishes a fixed height of 8" for each course of the blocks. Thus, as the wall is built, its height increases by 8" increments for each course of blocks that is laid, and the wall height for any number of courses is always in multiples of the 8" dimension. For example, if eleven courses are laid, the wall is 88" high, and if twelve courses are laid, it is 96" high.

When the wall is to contain an opening for a closure such as a door or a window, it is built around a door or a window frame indicated at 17, the door itself being shown at 18. The frame 17 is usually made of metal and also has standardized dimensions, in most instances being required to accommodate a door which is 7'-0" (or 84") high. The frame is usually 2" thick and includes a transverse top frame member 17' which, when added to the height of the door, makes an overall height of 86" for the door and frame.

In terms of the surrounding wall, the 86" height of the door and frame is at a level intermediate the wall block course C11, the top of which, that is, the junction line of which with the bottom of the next higher course C12, is at an elevation of 88". Thus, the top frame member 17' of the door lies 2" below the top of the wall block course C11, as indicated by the dimension D. As a result, if ordinary wall blocks of the 8" vertical dimension were placed on top of the frame member 17', the top of such blocks would lie below the top of the next higher block course C12 and it would not be possible to lay the next higher block course C13 in a straight line across the top of the door.

In conventional practice it was customary to overcome this difficulty as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by placing a row of blocks 15 on end, so to speak, on top of the frame member 17', after such blocks have been cut down in length so that their vertical dimension, when placed on end, was compatible with the vertical distance between the frame member 17 and the top of the block course C12 of the wall, whereby the next overlying block course C13 could be laid in a straight line across the top of the door.

In another conventional manner as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a layer of filling material 19, such as mortar or concrete, was placed on top of frame member 17 in a thickness (of approximately 2") to make up the difference between the level of the member 17 and the top of the block course C11, whereupon the block course C12 could be laid in a straight line across the door.

It will be appreciated that these conventional practices involve a Waste of time and effort, as well as added cost of the wall construction. The present invention eliminates these disadvantages by providing special lintel blocks, modular in form, for placing above the frame member 17', the arrangement being such that the special blocks dimensionally compensate for the difference in level D, so that the block course C13 may be laid thereover in a straight line, without the conventional need for block cutting or inserting fill.

As such, the arrangement of the invention is shown in FIGS. -10 wherein the special, modular lintel blocks 20 are placed in a row to form the lintel on top of the frame member 17. Each block 20, as is best shown in FIG. 8, is open at the ends and top thereof and includes inner and outer side walls 21, 22, respectively, integrally connected together by a bottom wall 23. The vertical dimension V of the block 20 is such that the block extends from the frame member 17' upwardly to span the junction line between the wall block courses C11 and C12, with the top of the block 20 disposed on the same horizontal plane as the top of the block course C12. In other words, in the dimensional examples given, the height of the block 20 would be made up of the 2" dimension D and the 8" height of the block course C12.

If it is desired to project the row of lintel blocks beyond the ends of the frame member 17', that is, into the wall block course C12, relatively low or shallow blocks 20 are provided at the projecting ends of the lintel block row. The lintel blocks 20' are similar in construction to the block 20, but their height corresponds to that of the wall block course C12 inasmuch as the blocks 20' are laid on the wall block course C11 and the level difference D does not exist at those points.

As already stated, the blocks 20 and 20 are laid in a row to form the lintel, and conventional fillingof mortar or concrete 24 with embedded reinforcing rods 25 may be provided therein, as shown.

With specific reference to FIG. 5, it will be noted, for example, that with the dimension E representing the height of the door and frame above the floor or foundation 26, and the dimension F representing the elevation of the top of the *block course C11 above the floor, the level difference D exists which is taken up by the lintel blocks 20 in the block course C12, so that the next overlying course C13 may be laid in a straight line.

Referring again to the prior art showings in FIGS 1-4, it will be observed that, in accordance with conventional practice, a metal drip lip 26' is usually installed over the frame member 17' to prevent water from running down over the door. The present invention eliminates the need for such a metal drip lip, since the lintel blocks 20, 20 are provided integrally on the outer wall 22 thereof with an outwardly projecting water shed shoulder 27. This shoulder has an upper surface 28 which is slanted downwardly and inwardly toward the wall 22 of the blocks, thus providing a trough through which water may run laterally toward the ends of the lintel structure, that is, to the ends of the blocks 20', at which points the water may drop to the ground without running down over the door. Also, the shoulder 27 has a lower surface provided with an inverted groove 29, so that any water such as may gravitate over the shoulder 27 to the lower surface thereof will drop to the ground at the groove 29, without flowing inwardly toward the door. In this respect it will be noted that the groove 29 is spaced outwardly from the outer wall 22 of the blocks.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure and various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A building wall formed from superposed courses of modular wall blocks and provided with an opening, a rectangular closure frame mounted in said opening and including a transverse top frame member, the vertical dimension of said frame being such that said top frame member is disposed at a level below the junction line between the top of one course of said wall blocks and the bottom of the next overlying course of wall blocks, and a lintel structure comprising a row of modular lintel blocks positioned on said top frame member, the vertical dimension of said lintel blocks being such that they span said junction line and have the top thereof coplanar with the top of said next overlying course of wall blocks, each of said blocks being provided integrally on its outer face with an outwardly projecting water shed shoulder having a downwardly and inwardly sloping upper surface whereby to form a trough through which water may run laterally for drainage at the ends of the lintel structure.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said water shed shoulder has a lower surface provided with an inverted drip groove.

3. A modular lintel block comprising a block-shaped body having top and bottom surfaces and an outer face, and an outwardly projecting water shed shoulder provided integrally on the outer face of said body, said water shed shoulder having an upper surface sloping downwardly and inwardly toward said outer face of said body whereby to form a trough through which water may run laterally of the block.

4. The block as defined in claim -3 wherein said water shed shoulder has a lower surface provided with an inverted drip groove.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 945,439 1/1910 Beidler 52-97 X 2,226,369 12/1940 Campfield 52-59 2,994,987 8/ 1961 Klein 52--97 X FOREIGN PATENTS 609,019 9/ 1948 Great Britain.

JOHN E. MURTAGH, Primary Examiner.

C. G. MUELLER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BUILDING WALL FORMED FROM SUPERPOSED COURSES OF MODULAR WALL BLOCKS AND PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING, A RECTANGULAR CLOSURE FRAME MOUNTED IN SAID OPENING AND INCLUDING A TRANSVERSE TOP FRAME MEMBER, THE VERTICAL DIMENSION OF SAID FRAME BEING SUCH THAT SAID TOP FRAME MEMBER IS DISPOSED AT A LEVEL BELOW THE JUNCTION LINE BETWEEN THE TOP OF ONE COURSE OF SAID WALL BLOCKS AND THE BOTTOM OF THE NEXT OVERLYING COURSE OF WALL BLOCK, AND A LINTEL STRUCTURE COMPRISING A ROW OF MODULAR LINTEL BLOCKS POSITIONED ON SAID TOP FRAME MEMBER, THE VERTICAL DIMENSION OF SAID LINTEL BLOCKS BEING SUCH THAT THEY SPAN SAID JUNCTION LINE AND HAVE THE TOP THEREOF COPLANAR WITH THE TOP OF SAID NEXT OVERLYING COURSE OF WALL BLOCKS, EACH OF SAID BLOCKS BEING PROVIDED INTEGRALLY ON ITS OUTER FACE WITH AN OUTWARDLY PROJECTING WATER SHED SHOULDER HAVING A DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY SLOPING UPPER SURFACE WHEREBY TO FORM A TROUGH THROUGH WHICH WATER MAY RUN LATERALLY FOR DRAINAGE AT THE ENDS OF THE LINTEL STRUCTURE. 